A Finchel Season 4
by dshortklutz
Summary: What if somebody had helped Finn and Rachel get started on their lives together and they had gotten married? This will be a mix of canon and an alternate reality.
1. A Plan For Their Future

Title: A Different Take on Season 4

Author: Debra

Rating: Teen

Summary: What if the plan to put Rachel on the train had been stopped and she and Finn had gotten married? How would Season 4 have changed?

Disclaimer: The characters in this story, except for James and Camilla and other OC's, all belong to Ryan Murphy's Productions and Fox Television.

Author's Notes: Although this story will take place in a different universe than my story 'Medal Of Honor', I am bringing the character of Rachel's grandfather James over to this story.

This story is being written in memory of Cory Monteith and in honor of the character he created, Finn Hudson. Given the fact that it seems like the show is going to kill the character of Finn, fanfiction is the only way we have to truly keep the character alive and to give Finn and Rachel the ending they deserved. This story is also my attempt to fix the damage that last season did to Finn and Rachel as a couple.

* * *

James Berry was walking down the hall to his son LeRoy's study when he saw his wife Camilla getting ready to bust into the room. Given the anger burning in her brown eyes, James knew his wife was very upset about something and their son was about to get the lecture of his life. He stopped her with a gentle hand to her arm and started to listen to the conversation taking place in the room.

"Mr. Berry, won't Rachel be hurt when I tell her that we aren't getting married?"

Finn's voice was wavering and James could tell that his granddaughter's fiance was very upset about the topic being discussed.

"Finn, you are doing the best thing for her by cancelling your wedding and putting her on the train to New York. She isn't thinking clearly right now and is going to sacrifice her future as a star. We can't let that happen," Hiram said, his own voice starting to shake as well.

"Our star might be angry at all three of us for doing this but she will eventually thank us for doing what is best for her," LeRoy stated.

Camilla and James had heard enough of the conversation to figure out what all three men had planned. They both knew that this ill thought out scheme had to be stopped before their son, his partner and the boy their angel girl loved made a huge mistake; one that could cause pain and heartbreak for months to come.

"Like hell you are!" Camilla snapped at her son as she opened the door and stepped into the room. "Rachel doesn't deserve to have the three of you plotting against her like this."

"Mom, the three of us are doing what we think is best for Rachel," LeRoy said, trying to stay calm because he knew when his mother, still feisty and didn't put up with any BS even in her late seventies, got that look in her eyes, there was going to be hell to pay.

"LeRoy James Berry, I know all about the reverse psychology that the two of you and Finn parents thought would work in keeping them from getting married. I also know that you and Hiram are taking advantage of this boy's insecurity in his own future to get your way."

Camilla glared at her son and his partner before turning to Finn. Her expression changed to one of compassionate understanding as she took in the misery the young man in front of her was experiencing before glancing at her husband.

"James, take Finn into the other room and talk to him about **our **solution to his problems while I deal with our son and Hiram."

"Come on, son. When Camilla gets like this, it is best to do as she wants. Let's see if you and I can come up with a solution to the problem that doesn't lead in heartbreak for both you and Rachel," James said, gently.

Finn stood up from the wing back chair he had been sitting in and left the room with James while Camilla turned to face her son and his partner.

"Before you say that I don't know what I am talking about LeRoy James, I want you to remember how old your father and I were when we got married."

"I know that, mom. You were the same age that Rachel is right now."

"We also had the added bonus of being a mixed race couple that had to deal prejudiced jackasses trying to say that we were an abomination," Camilla reminded her son, the pale wrinkled skin on her face flushed with anger. "Your father and I were getting ready to come to you with a solution that would allow Finn and Rachel to get married and for her to still go to NYADA when I overheard this conversation. If the three of you would have done what you were planning, Rachel would have resented all three of you."

* * *

The confrontation continued as James walked down the hall with Finn following behind him into the Berry's living room. The two of them sat down on the couch where Finn immediately put his head in his hands, refusing to look at James.

"Finn, you all of sudden went from being excited to marry Rachel to trying to cancel it and getting her on a train to New York. Is this about being rejected by Pace?"

"I'm not good enough for her, Mr. Berry. She doesn't need a Lima loser like me whose father died because of a drug overdose instead of dying a hero like my mom had told me for years. I have to redeem him somehow."

Dread went through James as he started to realize what Finn meant by that.

"Son, please tell me that I am wrong and that you didn't enlist in the Army?"

"Not yet. I was going to sign the papers as soon as I left here."

James sighed in relief before starting to speak again, hoping to talk some sense into the young man sitting beside him.

"Finn, as you know I was your father's commanding officer before he was discharged and if I could tell you what happened, I would but the information is classified. Just know that what happened to him would have sent even the strongest of people down a bad path. I was there and it still haunts me even now to think about that mission."

"General Berry, I can't let her throw away her chance to go to NYADA."

"That's not going to happen and the two of you can still be together," James quietly stated. "I want to offer you a job that will require you moving to New York with Rachel. A job that you can handle and would give you, Rachel and Kurt a place to live while Rachel goes to NYADA and you and Kurt can figure out what you are going to do next."

"What kind of job?"

"I own a twenty story apartment building on Central Park West that needs a maintenance man to handle repairs. There are two four bedroom penthouses on the top two floors; one is for me and Camilla while you, Rachel and your brother Kurt, if he chooses to come with the two of you, would be able to live in the one on the lower floor," James explained.

"Mr. Berry…"

"Son, I really need your help, the last man I hired to take care of that building was an idiot who sat on his butt and did nothing. I came very close to losing tenants that had been living in those apartments for over three decades. I am offering you a way to be with Rachel and make your own money to accomplish your dreams for your future while trusting you to help me straighten out the mess my former employee made."

Finn thought about what James had said and knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to stay away from Rachel, that she would be really hurt if he abandoned her on their wedding day. She was his future and Mr. Berry was offering him a way of making his own way in the world and accomplishing something while still being able to be with Rachel.

"I'll do it but I want to pay something for rent on the apartment Rachel and I live in. I won't take charity."

"I thought you would say something like that. How does five hundred dollars a month sound? That would be one week of your salary going towards your rent and the rest for yours and Rachel's expenses."

Finn and James continued to discuss the specifics of his employment, knowing deep down that this was the best thing to do for everybody involved.

Later that evening, Rachel walked into the front door of her house from a shopping trip with Kurt and Mercedes and could instantly feel the tension between her dads and her grandparents. She had learned early when her grandmother was angry at someone there would be hell to pay for that person and given her rigid stance and the glares she was giving her son, her Dad had really ticked his mother off.

Before Rachel could ask what was going on, her grandfather had walked over and hugged her. They hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving and to have her grandparents here for her graduation and wedding made Rachel very happy.

The comfort of she took from her grandfather's embrace reminded Rachel of the time when he had held her after she fell off her bike at six years old. The gruff and tough former drill sergeant and retired General became a pile of mush when either Rachel or her grandmother was upset. His girls, as he liked to call them, were his one weakness and heaven forbid anybody ever mess with either one of them while he was around. It made Rachel glad that she had never told him about just how badly Rachel had been bullied by Quinn, Santana, Puck and the other popular kids at school.

As she pulled away from her grandfather and hugged her grandmother, Rachel saw Finn standing in the doorway of the living room, a gentle smile on his face. He seemed to be more at peace than he had been in the past several days. She had a strong feeling that there was something going on here that she didn't know about and that if Rachel had her way, she would know just exactly what that was.

"Does somebody want to explain to me why Grandma is scowling at Daddy?"

Finn stepped forward and took Rachel's hand in his, leading her up the stairs to her bedroom so they could talk in private. As soon as the door to the room closed, LeRoy turned to face his parents.

"What's going to happen when this little plan fails and Finn ends up running back home to Lima? They are too young to get married."

"LeRoy James Berry, drop the attitude, "Camilla snapped at her son. "Finn and Rachel are very much in love with each other and if the three of you would have succeeded with your plan, it would have caused more pain than anything else?"

"Your mother and I are giving Finn a job that he is qualified for and letting him earn his own money while he figures out the next step. Rachel will go to NYADA and still have Finn. Her dreams have changed and it isn't all about Broadway for her anymore, you and Hiram just refuse to see that, LeRoy."

"I know the two you think that you are helping them but what if this ends horribly," Hiram quietly said.

"Son, none of us know what will happen. The odds are against them but they just might be one of the lucky ones and actually stay together through everything life throws at them, just like her grandparents," James responded, placing a comforting hand on Hiram's shoulder.

* * *

AN: I am trying to decide how or if Brody will be in this story, even if it is just long enough to be told to back off by Finn after he hits on Rachel, who wants nothing to do with him.


	2. Graduation Drama

As soon as the door to her bedroom closed, Rachel pulled her hand out of Finn's and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. He knew that she wanted answers about what was going on and there would be hell to pay if she didn't get them.

"Tell me what is going on, Finn. Why is my grandmother angry at my dad?"

Finn hesitated for a moment to sit down on the foot of Rachel's bed. He knew that she would be hurt after finding out that he had planned on cancelling their wedding and going into the army.

"She overheard your dads and me talking about getting you on a train to New York on our wedding day so you wouldn't sacrifice your dreams of being a star for me."

"What!"

"I thought you were ruining your life by wanting to marry me and stay here in Lima for six months. Your grandfather helped me change my mind and has offered me a job in an apartment building he owns in New York."

"Finn, you are not ruining my dreams. You have become a part of them," Rachel replied, sitting down beside him on her bed and gently touching him on the cheek. "He must want you to replace that incompetent maintenance man in his building on Central Park West. Which apartment did he offer us?"

"The penthouse on the 17th and 18th floor and I am paying him five hundred a month for us to live there."

"Finn…"

"I won't take charity, Rachel. I want to earn my own way in this world."

"Okay. As big as that apartment is, Kurt could stay with us and we could even invite Puck to stay with us there. Grandpa could hire him to help you because it is going to take a lot of work to repair everything that was neglected."

"I will talk to your grandfather and Puck about it, as long as he and Kurt are in a separate part of the apartment from us."

"Finn, the master suite and the private gym with an indoor swimming pool are the only rooms on the top floor. The other three bedrooms are under the gym and not the master suite. We will have privacy. The master suite has a key lock to where a password has to be entered to go into that room. So we won't have to worry about people snooping around or in the case of Puckerman, trying to get a free peep show and making comments."

Finn smirked at Rachel before leaning over to kiss her. As soon as their lips touched, passion took over and it led to a full on make out session, their worries over graduation and their wedding, and not caring that her fathers and grandparents were downstairs.

* * *

Camilla was making dinner in the kitchen when Hiram came into the room and grimaced when he heard the music start up in Rachel's room. She grinned at her son-in-law and touched him comfortingly on the arm.

"It isn't easy on a parent when you realize that the young child who loved you before anybody else when they were small, have new relationships that are just important. It is especially difficult when that child becomes sexually active."

"Camilla!" Hiram exclaimed, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Hiram, they are engaged to be married and to think that they aren't having sex is naïve on your part."

"I know but to have that knowledge made known is a different story."

"This is your payback for all of those times that James and I walked in on you and LeRoy when you first got together and would come to visit us."

"You don't have to enjoy this so much, mom."

Camilla laughed at Hiram's words and felt the thrill that went through her every time her son's partner called her mom. His own mother had turned her back on him the moment he had come out of the closet and she had held him while he had sobbed at her rejection of him. The only family he had left was his younger sister, Hannah.

"Have you heard anything from Hannah lately?"

"I talked to her last night. She is flying to Washington DC to help Christina move to New York."

Right after Hiram's parents had rejected him, they had been killed in an auto accident, leaving him with a nine year old sister to take care of. At the time, he and LeRoy had been struggling with taking care of themselves, even with Camilla and James helping them so Christina Morgan, an old friend of his mother's had taken Hannah to her home in a DC suburb and raised her. She had already raised four sons of her own and had the time and money to devote to a young girl who had just lost her parents.

"Are Travis, Tim, Mark and Walter helping them too?"

"Yes and all of them and their wives are coming back here with Hannah and Christina to go to Rachel's graduation party and the wedding."

In the years of Hiram and LeRoy going to see Hannah and bringing her when they would visits with Camilla and James when she was a little girl, the Berry and Morgan families had become close to each other. The four sons and their wives had all been there when Rachel had been born.

Their conversation was quickly brought to an end when James and LeRoy had walked into the room. They were both grimacing at the music playing from Rachel's room to Camilla's continued amusement.

* * *

The next day, the families and friends of the graduates sat in the auditorium waiting for the graduation ceremony to start. Finn was sitting behind his drums, relieved that this day was finally here. The next day, he and Rachel would be getting married and preparing to move their things to New York.

He had seen pictures of the apartment they would be staying in and it would be more than they would need but at the price Rachel's grandfather was charging them for it and the added bonus of a job, Finn would drop some of his pride to move into a penthouse near Central Park. Kurt had just about passed out in delight at the sight of the apartment they would be staying in until he found out Puck was moving in with them too.

His best friend had jumped at the chance to be making his own money along with a roof over his head and had taken the job offer before James could finish speaking. He had also agreed to go as soon as he had found out Beth was in New York too, living with her adoptive mother, Rachel's biological mother, Shelby. She had already agreed to let both Puck and Quinn see the little girl but with the condition that none of the drama that had happened earlier in the school year would happen again.

That left a fourth bedroom for when anybody would come to visit them or for Santana to move into because Finn had a strong feeling that she might not stay at Louisville that long. The keypad on the door to his and Rachel's room would prevent her from snooping in their things.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sight of Puck walking over to stand in front of his drums, holding his guitar. The two friends nodded at each other before starting the musical number, Glory Days that they would be performing for the graduation ceremony.

* * *

Camilla watched Puck and Finn prepare for their performance,, lost in the memories of her precious granddaughter as a little girl. She had fallen in love with her at first sight and had been a source of advice for Rachel when she had needed him. Although Camilla hadn't been there like she had wanted to, especially when her son and Hiram had sent that poor child to school with stuffed animals stapled to her clothes during Lady Gaga week her Sophomore year, she had been the female figure in Rachel's life.

A smile came over the older woman's face when a woman in her mid to late thirties with long dark hair walked over to where Camilla was sitting. With her was another woman who was around the same age as Camilla with shoulder length gray hair. She was tall with a slender figure and had an air of class to her that couldn't be taught.

"Christina! How wonderful to see you," Camilla exclaimed, standing up to hug both women before they all sat down together.

"It is wonderful to see you too. I told the boys I would record Rachel's graduation for them so they could watch it later. They are at the hotel, putting the final touches on the party," Christina said. "It feels like only yesterday that we were all visiting the hospital on the day she was born and now Rachel is graduating, going to one of the best drama schools in the country and getting married. Time has gone by too quickly."

"There wouldn't have been a wedding if James and I hadn't of overheard Hiram and LeRoy plotting to make sure the wedding doesn't happen and that Finn put Rachel on a train to New York. Finn was convinced that he would bring Rachel down and prevent her from making her dreams come true if he had gone through with the wedding."

Hannah shook her head in dismay as Camilla told her and Christina the story of what had almost happened and how it had been prevented.

"I told Hiram that it was a bad idea, that Rachel would hate all three of them for doing it," she said, holding her head in her hands. "It's a good thing that you and James heard what was going on and stopped it."

The conversation was stopped short as James, Hiram and LeRoy joined the three women and the graduation ceremony started. They were all caught up in the joy of the moment and thoughts of the graduation party that would take place in a few hours.

* * *

The party was in fully swing in the same place where Burt and Carole Hummel's wedding reception had taken place. The members of New Directions that had graduated mingled with their family and friends that either hadn't been able to make it to the ceremony or there hadn't been enough tickets for them to go.

Rachel stood beside Finn with his arm around her waist, deep in conversation with her aunt Hannah and another woman that was around the same height as her aunt and also had waist length dark hair.

"Thank you for coming, Bonnie. I'm glad that you and Walter could come to the party and be here for my wedding, "Rachel stated, smiling at both women.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, sweetie."

Bonnie Morgan had been born into the Craig family, one of Washington DC's elite families but had given it all up to marry Christina's youngest son, Walter. Her older sister Justine had married Walter's older brother, Tim and were still together in spite of a brief separation twenty six years earlier when their issues with having their own child and demands of Tim's political career had driven them apart for a brief period of time. It had driven their mother, Margaret crazy to have both daughters marry the sons of her biggest rival.

"Now what is this I hear about the wedding being cancelled," Bonnie inquired.

"I had a moment where I thought that Rachel would have been better off without a Lima loser like me," Finn said, nervous around Rachel's aunt and her friend. He could sense that these two women were from wealthy backgrounds and that Rachel held a lot of stock in their opinion. He was unsure of how to deal with this new world of wealth and power that he had just found out that he was marrying into. Rachel and her dads were very down to earth and didn't act how he had always thought the extremely wealthy should act.

"Sweetie," Bonnie said. "I don't know what a Lima loser is but after meeting you and seeing the way Rachel looks at you, you are not one. This girl loves you so much that she would fight a dragon for you."

Bonnie walked away from them and over to where her husband, Walter was talking to his older brothers while Hannah stayed behind to talk to them.

"Here is my wedding and graduation gift for the both of you," she said, handing Rachel a plain white envelope. "Consider this my contribution to making sure the two of you have some stability when you start your lives together."

Rachel opened the envelope and nearly dropped the check in shock at the six figure sum. She showed the amount on the check to Finn and his hands shook as he took the check from Rachel.

"Ms. Coleman, we can't accept this."

"Yes, you can," Hannah touched her niece on the shoulder gently. "It is yours as the first grandchild to get married. Your grandpa never had time to change his will after finding out that I wasn't his child. So I inherited everything when I became old enough to handle it. His will stated that that the oldest grandchild, whether biological or adopted, was to inherit that much money on their wedding day with the rest to come on their 21st birthday. Since I never had children and you are the only grandchild, you are my heir, Rachel. The money is yours and I think it is poetic justice. The child my mother and that man would have called an abomination inheriting everything that they worked so hard for."

"Aunt Hannah…"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, take the money and invest it or something. Save it for an emergency so you can have it and it will be there when you need it."

Hannah gave them both a hug and walked off, leaving two stunned teenagers in her wake.

"Rach…"

"We will ask grandpa what to do with this money. For now, I think we need to put it up somewhere safe."

Rachel walked away from Finn and over to her grandmother. Camilla took the envelope and put it in her purse while Rachel walked back to Finn and they went out onto the dance floor to share a slow dance, exchanging a tender kiss as they held each other tightly.

"Did you give it to them?"

Hannah stopped short at the sight of Jackson Craig, Bonnie's older brother standing there. He was as tall as Finn with dark curly hair that was starting to gray at his temples.

"Yes, I did. What are you doing here, Jack?"

"Bonnie told me that your niece was graduating high school so I thought I would come here to talk to you about what happened."

A fierce light came into Hannah's dark eyes as she turned to face him. She looked like an avenging angel, ready to tear him apart with her bare hands.

"Oh, you mean when you had sex with me, leading me to believe that you and Roberta were filing for a divorce when it was as far from the truth as possible?"

"My mom…"

Jackson, you are a grown man in your fifties. If your twin sister and younger sister can stand up to your mother and marry the men they loved instead of giving into your mother who can't let go of a rivalry that was started in the fifties, so can you. All you look like is a pathetic mama's boy and if that is all you can do instead of having the balls to stand up to her, you can stay the hell away from me and focus on your wife."

Hannah stormed off and when Jackson went to go after her, James Berry stepped out from where he had been watching the entire confrontation.

"Leave her alone, son."

"General…"

"She has laid down her terms so you need to leave her in peace until when or if you can accept them. The only downside to that is she might decide to move on before that can happen," James then looked at Jackson sternly. "You know she six older brothers, one by birth, four by adoption and one by his relationship with Hiram and despite the fact it would cause trouble between them and your sisters, Walter and Tim would help the others get you for touching her while still being married to Roberta."

Jackson walked in the opposite direction that Hannah had gone, an air of sadness around him. James watched him and felt bad for the pain both he and Hannah seemed to be in but until Jack could finally stand up to his mother and get out of the loveless marriage that he had found himself in, it was best for everyone if they stayed away from each other.

* * *

Everybody was sitting at the tables that were all around the room, with Puck, Quinn, Santana, Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes and Mike all sitting at the main table. They were all having dinner and it was now time for the toasts to the graduates to start.

Burt stood up, wearing one of the suits that had become common place for him to wear now that he had been elected to Congress. He held a glass of wine in his hand and turned to face his son and stepson.

"We are all here tonight to celebrate the graduation of these amazing young people but it is also a moment filled with sadness. They are all moving on to the next steps and we become spectators in their lives. The day that us parents had alternately wished for and dreaded coming is here," Burt had to wipe a tear from his eye before continuing to speak, facing his son. "Kurt, for a long time, you were all I had in this world and there hasn't been a day that I haven't been proud to be your father. I know you will be leaving soon for a new life in New York City but I am glad that you will have your brother with you and that the two of you will have each other's back. Finn, I might not be your dad by birth but I think of you and love you like you were my own. I am so proud of you and all that you accomplished this year. While I have reservations about you and Rachel getting married so young, I also know that girl loves you very much and would walk through fire for you and nobody, besides your mom, has loved you as much as she does."

Everybody was so caught up in Burt's words, they didn't notice Quinn clinch her fists in anger at old memories when Finn had been hers and that he had left her to be with Rachel. She thought the anger had been gone for a while and that they were crazy to get married so young but also wished that ring on Rachel's finger had been given to her instead.

"He made his choice and it wasn't you, get over it," Puck whispered harshly in her ear.

As soon as all of the speeches were over, Puck took her by the arm and led her out of the room. He came to a private office and pulled her inside the room, closing the door behind him.

"What the hell, Puckerman!"

"Everybody else might not have seen that little display of temper in there but I did. I heard all about the incident at the bridal shop when you refused to take part in their first attempt at a wedding. You still want him."

"No, I don't but it pisses me off when people act like she was the only one besides his mom that ever loved and cared about Finn."

"You didn't love him. All you cared about was ruling the school and being Prom Queen. If you would have left Finn alone after that football game, they would have been back together after Regionals," Puck angrily stated.

"She wouldn't have written that song if it wasn't for me," Quinn shot back hotly.

"Lauren told me about the conversation that she had overheard between the two of you but I didn't want to believe it," Puck's voice then took on a saccharine sweet girly tone. _**"I get Finn and you get brokenhearted!"**_

"Shut up!" Quinn screamed at him.

"Look how well that worked out for you. He dumped your ass at a funeral and was back with her within a week despite the pathetic, clinging vine leech routine you kept up the rest of the school year. Did you know that Santana, Brittany, Lauren, Tina and Mercedes laughed their asses off at you on most days? Everybody in that room knew exactly what was going on and why Finn was with you and not Rachel. Hell, the whole school knew and that is why they didn't take the two of you serious when you ran for Prom King and Queen. You were his rebound and the two of you never had a future together. Mrs. Hummel would have kicked his ass into the middle of next week because she has never forgiven you for purposely lying to Finn about Beth."

"You lied to him too and she doesn't hate you."

"Yes I did but the difference is, I have apologized to him for both it and kissing Rachel in a moment when Santana had her so wound up, she wasn't thinking clearly. That's the difference between me and you, I can admit when I make a mistake and you can't."

Quinn goes at him, trying to attack him with her nails going for his eyes. They struggle for a moment until anger turns to passion and they are making out on the floor of the office, clothes flying all over the room.

* * *

AN: I wanted to introduce some drama for other couples in this story. I have been a Quick fan since season one and it irritated me that they were never really given a chance. What happened at the end of this chapter will lead into some drama for them.

The OC characters were my way of trying to add some family and friends for Rachel and I am considering adding some family members for Finn too. They might get some storylines in this but at the heart of this story is Finchel.

I apologize that it took me so long to update this story, I have had a bit of a block and today, inspiration struck with a longer chapter than I normally do.

As I write this, it still doesn't feel like it has been seven weeks since Cory left this world too soon. It still feels like I am in an alternate universe or an endless nightmare that I can never wake up from. My heart goes out to Lea and his family, especially his mother and Lea, who probably will always feel a gaping wound in their hearts that will never heal.

This is the first summer in three years where I am not anticipating Glee coming back on and what will happen with Finn and Rachel. That dream is over but we can still keep them alive in fanfiction and give them the ending that they were denied. The one way we can honor Cory in a way that he would have wanted us to. I am not even ready watch episode three of the coming season and not wanting to cry my eyes out but someday I will be able to watch him on Glee and smile at the memories of this talented and kindhearted man. I guess the good Lord needed him up there with him more than he did down here.


End file.
